road hunting?

[BobT]

I don't pot shoot birds. To me there is no sport or fun in groundpounding a sitting bird. On a rare occasion I might stop the vehicle load a a gun and walk a clump of brush I saw a bird duck into if I have proper permission and it's legal, but thats far from a sure bet (they know you're coming). Like others have said, I bird hunt to watch the dog work. If the hunting is good I tend to stick to shooting only points. If I can restrain myself from dumping a rooster I put up myself in favor of ones my dogs worked, I think I can hold off from shooting one on the ground out of a vehicle risking my hunting privileges and firearm.

Want a real challenge? Hunt grouse the way my brother and I did as kids. We used .22 because neither of us could shoot our way out of a paper bag with a shotgun. Actually, I wonder if I could today sometimes. We'd flush the birds, note where they went down, and catch them on the ground. Not so easy to do in the north woods.

[charliepete]

Bob....I guess we'll have to disagree. I think shooting a grouse on the wing is 50 times harder than potting one on the ground with a rifle. Even in your own post about the challenge of shooting them with a .22 you say that you did it because neither your nor your brother could hit one with a shotgun. It sounds to me like the real challenge would have been wing shooting them with a shotgun even in your own estimation.

[broken_line]

we shot one that was along ways form a house.. the wind blew it in the private land about 2 feet or so we put the gun in the truck leand over grabbed it and the guy from the houses came running and asked about the legality of the shooting i told him i got 3 responsises we could.. called the dnr, emailed the dnr, a on here.. all said we could.. then he just looked at me for a while then asked what my name was and was struck up a nice chat..

[harvey lee]

Most stories I have heard did not have quite the ending yours did.

[BobT]

The challenge isn't in being able to make the kill. The challenge is to get close enough to find them again so you can.

[lichen fox]

When we were young my brother and I too started with a .22 rimfire hunting grouse...it wasn't because we couldn't hit anything with a shotgun, it was mainly because our folks couldn't afford to buy us both shotguns and dad had a couple of 22's in his gun cabinet...we'd walk the woodlots slowly...listen, and watch...rarely would we flush a bird before we got a crack at him...it was quite challangeing...but we rarely came home without our limits of ruffies...As for the legality of shooting off a road at a small game animal...it's perfectly legal in Mn....you can shoot off the road, into the brush, or at small game on the road...if you are hunting roads on "private land" you do need permission from the landowner as in Mn the landowner owns to the center of the road...there are currently some "proposed" changes as far as shooting "onto the road", but these may or maynot be implemented next year...the only current restrictions are that you cannot shoot from a road or across a road at a "big game" animal...

[harvey lee]

The problem I see with the road hunting is so many shoot from their vehicle at pheasants and other game from the truck.

More do it than one realizes. That is not legal.

[lichen fox]

I agree, that has never been legal and even with the enhancements they are trying to make to the road hunting laws it's something that "some people" will continue to do...One of the "propsed changes" is to make it illegal to shoot at small game animal/bird "on" the road...you could still shoot from the road but only at game that's off the road...but no matter how they say you are "supposed to do it" there will be some that don't read the regs or choose or choose to ignore it...I still do some road hunting for ruffies, mainly when I'm checking bear baits and when I evening hunt for ruffies I will most often walk a road or logging trail with my shorthair...

[CRAZYEYES]

I can't say that I never have gotten out on a two rut road and shot a grouse when I was younger but I have never pheasant or dove hunted from the car. The problem with road hunting is it makes hunters look bad. As hunters we need to set the best example we can so we dont give groups like Peta any more ammo against hunters. Road hunting will always be a hottly debated topic but if a hunter needs to road hunt to get their birds they probably are not putting enough time into the sport. I do think they should reverse the law on shooting fromnear a motor vehicle and ban grouse hunting from 4 wheelers. I fail to see the sport running the roads with a 4 wheeler and the birds dont even fly most of the time when you pull up to them on a machine. If your legs work walk but if they dont get a permit to shoot from a motor vehicle.

[harvey lee]

Thats the trouble, there is a legal way to do this but as always, some ruin it for the rest.

I have no issues with hunters doing it the legal way.

[CatchPhotoFilet]

I have an excellent area to hunt pheasants in SD. I choose to road hunt because it is an efficient way to hunt. Depending on weather conditions and time of year it will not matter how many fields you walk the birds get up a long ways ahead of you or the snow is chest deep and you cant walk in it if you wanted to. I disagree that is gives hunters a bad name. If anyone thinks that, apparently they dont realize that just cause your road hunting does not mean the bird you shoot at is going to be a certain kill shot. Every bird has just the same chance of escape as the next. No matter how well of a rule follower people think they are nobody is ever 100% by the book.

[CRAZYEYES]

I will agree that no hunter is 100% perfect. But as for the weather being bad, snow being deep and the pheasants being skittish thats part of hunting. Without all of that you couldnt even call it hunting. Another thing is if you ask non hunters if they think driving a car around shooting pheasnts is a fair chase hunting I would have to believe that the absolute majority would say no and makes hunters look bad. Its not all about the kill its about the hunt.

[CodyDawg]

I dont care how skittish the birds are, if you put in an honest effort you will get opportunities. I have hunted all the states around here all season long and I have never, ever, found snow to the point that it stopped me from hunting. Did it hinder me a on very rare occation, sure, but frankly, I can only think of twice where it was a major deal. And we still shot birds in it. I do a LOT of hunting pheasants (too much the wife says!!) and if you put forth an honest effort you will get plenty of birds without having to resort to road hunting.

[CatchPhotoFilet]

Maybe you should of been in SD last winter the last week of the season. Snow was chest deep in a lot of spots. Couldnt get to a lot of sloughs walking or driving. ZERO degrees outside also makes road hunting sound real nice from a heated vehicle! Id rather walk a slough and work a dog than road hunt but sometimes road hunting is the more efficient way to do things. To each their own but I dont think road hunting is by any means unethical or not a fair chase.I think a bird has a lot better chance of getting away road hunting than sitting in extremely think cover where a dog might catch it or it cant fly away. Road hunting takes a lot of strategy to have success as well. Apparently from what you said you have never had to "resort" to road hunting like its the worst possible thing to do as a hunter. Maybe you should try something new and you might see the fun in it!

[CRAZYEYES]

Last year I was out near Madison MN near the SD border the last couple days of the pheasant season. There is no is question that it was pretty brutal. We tried to get into one of my favorite sloughs and the snow was chest deep in the cattails and we watched a good 200 birds get up a block in front of us. We had to use some strategy and post guys on one side of the slough while a couple of us plowed through the cats and snow on another. We did that a several times at a couple different sloughs and patches of dogwood trees and we got our birds. If you can get birds that time of year when they're buched up and jumpy it makes them true trophies. It probably would be more "efficent" to drive the roads shooting them but I cant see a lot of strategy or real effort there.

[CodyDawg]

My dad used to do a little road hunting from time to time. I never liked the idea. It is extremely easy some of the time and moderately easy most of the time. There are always issues with trespass....even if you do it completely legally, you were still within feet of not doing it legally. Chest deep snow can be navigated pretty easily with a pair of snowshoes. Most of the time when it is that deep, the pheasants arent there either because all the cover is buried. Believe me, I have hunted in lots of snow and as the previous poster said, if you put in an honest effort and use a little stategy, it is a lot of fun and you can have success. As for road hunting in general, we will have to agree to disagree because there is no way you will convince me it is an ethical way to hunt. I have seen way too many road hunters, I have seen way too many pheasants from the road (sometimes I will stop and they just stand there or run into a wee bit of cover and hold) and I have hunted way too many times to believe that is a good way to hunt them.

As for the birds holding in thick cover... that just doesnt happen enough to be an issue. I have been around thousands and thousands of birds and my dog has caught exactly 1, which was released unharmed (thank goodness for a soft mouth). Now you can make the point that I have a pointer and flushers are more likely to catch them. True. But my 3 best hunting pards run flushers and I can only recall them catching a couple. So that is no comparison to road hunting.

[SkitterPopper]

Quote:

I make 3 trips a year to SD most locals hunt not only pheasants from the roads but deer as well. It is not unethical that is your opinion.

Once again a thread takes a hard right. I was not calling anyone unethical that was road hunting legally. I know the guy in my story was on the road when he fired and I would assume the bird was over the road as it was in the center of the road. That is not legal. He was not in the ditch as it was heavy cover as I stated so he could not say he was in the ditch when he fired. In my opinion the risk is not worth the reward in road hunting.

I saw in your thread that you hunt deer from the road. I know in Minnesota the only legal way of doing this is if you are handicap. There are no other legal options to shoot out of your vehicle window at big game, and I hope that never changes.

[harvey lee]

In my humble opinion, shooting deer for a truck is not the sportsman way of hunting. Just because people do it does not make it ethical.

I do believe hunting a deer and beating his senses is hunting and not whacking them from the road.

I'm sorry but I cannot believe people would hunt like that.

[BLACKJACK]

Lets face it, people - note I didn't say hunters - that are in favor of road hunting are more interested in meat in the gamebag than they are about the sport of hunting. Forget the fact that they're feet away from trespassing and being illegal, forget the fact of how many birds fly away wounded to die later, at the end of the day they want a pile of meat to show off and put in the freezer.

Where we pheasant hunt in SoDak, the owners brother-in laws road hunt all day long, they get their birds, but the telling comment is 'you guys should come with us, we could use your dogs to find the birds'. How many do they shoot that they can't find?

Also in SoDak I watched three trucks chasing deer across a section, one of them a big buck. You could hear the pow, pow, pow as they pounded away. They went out of sight but who knows how long they chased those deer? Puts meat on the ground but not very sporting.

[rundrave]

lets not turn this into a SD hunter VS Minnesota hunters. There are a few bad apples that give our sport a bad image in both states.

Take it for what it is, road hunting is legal in SD, and the rules are different than MN.

I can tell you this I am not a fan of road hunting and I very rarely do it, but I do know that I could walk acres and acres of private land in the early season when crops are still in and not find alot of birds. However just before dark that same time of year I can run a dog down each ditch on the side of the road and wait for one of my dogs to go on point. Is it the way I like to hunt no way not at all.

But early season when the temps are still warm during the day, the grass is still tall and the crops are still in, its just another way to utilize birds. Its completely legal when done correctly. Just because its not your way to hunt, dont criticize other hunters for hunting with in their legal right.

[uplander]

I don't think it ever was a SD vs Mn thing...It's about treading on the grey area between legal hunting and tresspassing...which I think all to often gets crossed while road hunting..giving hunters a bad name....If you were a land owner and you watched guys bail out of a car and shoot some roosters a few hundred feet from your driveway.. Then watched as they had to cross the fence line to retrieve the birds which were clearly shot over your property....Do you think you would give the next guy that actually came and asked for permission to hunt your land the green light???..I'm gonna guess 9 of 10 are going to tell you to get the H out of there..And with good reason...I'm not saying ...I'm just saying!!!

[rundrave]

well in your scenario a couple hundred feet is against the law! Law clearly states that you need to be 660ft away.

And if they shot the birds and they were over the fence they were cleary wrong again. You can take only small game (except doves) and waterfowl within the right-of-way on foot. You must be within the right-of-way and the game must have taken flight from within or be flying over the right-of-way.

I agree with you this is the behavior of some hunters while road hunting that can make the practice difficult to defend.

But my stance is if done correctly and legally, why is there an issue?

[CodyDawg]

rundrave,

I think the issue is that it is very, very rarely done legally. How many guys are gonna pass up a shot at a big, fat rooster when he gets up right on the property line and heads over private property? Very, very, VERY few. You may be one, but there arent many. That roody gets shot at 999 times out of 1000.

And as stated, the ditch may not even be legal to hunt in MN. If it is an easement, it is not legal and you cant tell that unless you get into the title work.

[uplander]

No issue when done legally , none at all! ..while doing it the temptation for some to do wrong is too great...some people just can't hold up on that big juicy rooster 10 feet the other side of the fence..That's all ..and that is when we start to give ourselves a bad name!..Be safe! Have a great season! Try keep in mind what any of does reflects on all of us!!!!

[rundrave]

You guys have a great season as well! It wont be long.

I guess they way I look at it, I drive right by those tempting ones that are even borderline close to legal. There are too many birds out there. I dont need or want to take the risk of getting caught doing something wrong, or putting anyone at risk by firing an unsafe shot.

[harvey lee]

It great that a few follow the road hunting rules but I have watch many road hunters not do what you are doing rundave.

Thats the real problem.

Does not matter what state they break the rules in, it gives a bad name to all of us and also makes it harder to get permission to hunt private land. I see it all the time when hunters, if we can call them that, whack deer from their truck out the window. I never see them get out of the truck and go into the ditch to shoot them.

Thats simply what I see every year in North Dakota. Location of state does not matter as it happens alot everywhere. I watch this happen right out of the kitchen window and then call the CO but he never gets there in time. If I try to get a license number, they leave the deer and run like he$$.

[PGEHound]

To answer the question of the original post. I had the very same question and after looking through the MN hunting regulations there is nothing in there that states it is illegal to take small game from the road, on/off or across. The only thing that is illegal is shooting any game from your vehicle, unless your are disabled with a permit. Though, it is illegal to take big game from the road, on/off or across. Like many have stated you have to be carefull of public property. In MN there are many areas of state land that is open to public hunting.

Road hunting, if done legaly, is not 'unethical'. Not every one has the option of hunting with man's best friend. Hunting through pheasant country is almost impossible without a dog. If you road hunt make sure you bring a bag of 'common sense'. Listen for other vehicles that are possibly coming down the road or just be aware of your surroundings. I believe that is gun safety 101.

[BobT]

In my opinion, hunting is hunting and fishing is fishing. The primary purpose in either case is to take game. Seasons and limits have been established to protect the various species from total consumption. There are those that would like nothing more than to satisfy their own special interests and turn these activities into a purely elitest activity through catch & release or mininum rack size restrictions. My opinion? That's for the birds and if you want that type of activity, buy land, fence it in, and manage it to suit your fantasy.

[Dave S]

With the right technique, a person can be successful sans the dog while hunting public land. Road hunting can open up a big can of worms if the property owners own to the middle of the road. In that case, you would be trespassing and not doing any sportsman/woman any favors.